Greetings 02

To: Phoenix DrifterIX Landgraab AptsUptown, San Myshuno

Hi Dad!

I’ve started work here and it’s totally awesome. They have me working near Loxil, the main temple. It was the first temple discovered, but even so, there’s still plenty of things to discover and learn. I’ve been studying the murals and of course digging the trash pile out back. A trash pile is an archaeologist’s best friend. Although my subsequent paper on the diet of the original inhabitants might not be as exciting (spoiler it’s mainly llamas and dragonfruit). Love to you and Rez. Hope you’re not too lonely in the apartment now that Pea and I are gone.

Love, your (favorite) daughter

September 13th

It’s taken a while to get used to living on my own. During the day, it’s better – plus I’m usually out at the temple.

But the jungle is so noisy at night. There’s buzzing, hoots, grunts, and screeches. Are there sim-eating jungle cats in Selvadorada? There are some beasts painted on the walls of the temple, Dr. Catherwood says they’re imaginary, mythical creatures, but I’m not so sure. I made the mistake of looking outside after an eerie howl and saw glowing eyes.

Most of my time is spent out sorting bones and pits from rocks and dirt. It’s not the most glamorous job, but this is where undergraduates start. Plus, the temples around here are pretty barren of actual artifacts.

Dr. Catherwood might claim he “found” them, but it’s clear that the locals found them years ago and took a lot of the artifacts there. The temples have stelae, murals, and of course trash heaps, but not much else. Nothing someone could carry.

He’s slowly getting people to donate their artifacts to the museum. You can’t learn as much once the provenance is lost, but it’s better than nothing. He pays them and listens to the family stories of where the statues and fans came from.

On the weekends, I work at the little museum in town. Fielding questions from tourists (mainly where the restrooms are) and accepting any new artifacts from anyone who has decided to turn in their great grandmother’s Selvadoradan vase.

It might seem like we’re busy, but in reality, we’re waiting. Just after I arrived some satellite pictures show what looked a huge temple complex quite a ways out under the jungle canopy. The explorers left and we’re waiting for them to return to confirm. Dr. Catherwood is convinced there must be hundreds in the jungles around here. There’s no way the civilization could have supported just the two dozen he’s found. The temples are just too complex.

Author’s Note: I just love the picture from this pack. And Feather was very cooperative taking lots of photos and selfies herself to put on the walls. As it is I still had too many pictures to share even a fraction of the best ones.